C. Fox Smith
Encyclopedia
Cicely Fox Smith was an English poet and writer. Born in Lymm
, Cheshire
and educated [at [Manchester High School for Girls]], she briefly lived in Canada, before returning to the United Kingdom
shortly before the outbreak of World War I
. She settled in Hampshire and began writing poetry, often with a nautical theme. Smith wrote over 600 poems in her life, for a wide range of publications. In later life, she expanded her writing to a number of subjects, fiction and non-fiction. For her services to literature, the British Government awarded her a small pension
.
, near Warrington, England during the latter half of the reign of Queen Victoria. Her father was a barrister and her grandfather was a clergyman. Smith well might have been expected to have a brief education and then to settle down to life as a homemaker either for her family or her marriage partner.
She was well educated at Manchester High School for Girls
from 1894 to 1897, where she described herself later as "something of a rebel," and started writing poems at a comparatively early age. In an article for the school magazine Smith later wrote "I have a hazy recollection of epic poems after Pope's Iliad, romantic poems after Marmion stored carefully away in tin tobacco boxes when I was seven or eight." All of that early work is lost unfortunately. She published her first book of verses when she was 17 and it received favorable press comments.
Wandering the moors near her home she developed a spirit of adventure. She would follow the Holcombe Harrier
s hunt on foot as a girl. She had a fierce desire to travel to Africa but eventually settled for a voyage to Canada
. Smith likely sailed with her sister Madge in 1911 on a steamship to Montreal
, where she would then have traveled by train to Lethbridge, Alberta, staying for about a year with her older brother Richard Andrew Smith before continuing on to British Columbia
(BC). From 1912 to 1913 she resided in the James Bay
neighborhood of Victoria at the southern tip of Vancouver Island
, working as a typist for the BC Lands Department and later for an attorney on the waterfront. Her spare time was spent roaming nearby wharves and alleys, talking to residents and sailors alike. She listened to and learned from the sailors' tales until she too was able to speak with that authoritative nautical air that pervades her written work.
On 23 November 1913, Smith, with her mother and sister, arrived home in Liverpool aboard the White Star Line
steamer Teutonic
on the eve of World War I
. She and her family then settled in Hampshire.
Smith initially had her poetry published in a variety of magazines and newspapers: Blackwood's Magazine
, Blue Peter, Canada Monthly, Country Life, Cunard Magazine, Daily Chronicle
, Grand Magazine, Holly Leaves, the Outlook, Pall Mall Gazette
, The Daily Mail, The Dolphin, The London Mercury, The Nautical Magazine
, The Spectator
, The Sphere
, The Times Literary Supplement
, Westminster Gazette
, White Star Magazine, The Windsor Magazine, The Week and The Daily Colonist (BC) and Punch
for which she wrote many poems between 1914 and her death in 1954. She later re-published much of this poetry in her many books. In all she published well over 630 poems.
that she had collected, and edited a collection of sea poems and stories primarily by other authors. In 1937 Smith finally realized a childhood dream by sailing around the coast of Africa, as a guest of the Union-Castle Mail Steamship Co. Ltd., stopping in the harbors along the way. She wrote of her experiences in All the Way Round: Sea Roads to Africa. In the 1940s she began writing children's sea stories with her sister Margaret (Madge) Scott Smith, other travel books, history books, a book about ship models, at least one biography titled Grace Darling, and contributed to and edited many collections.
The fine art work of her older brother Philip Wilson Smith, known at the time for his etchings of Elizabethan architecture and oil paintings, illustrates many of her poetry and prose books.
Her literary outpourings were such as to persuade the Government to award her, at the age of 67, a modest pension for "her services to literature."
Smith kept writing to the end of her life about many things and many places but always with the accuracy and knowledge of an expert. She even chose her own gravestone epitaph, an extract from one of Walter Raleigh
's poems:
Cicely Fox Smith died on 8 April 1954, in the town of Bow, Hampshire
, where she'd been living with her sister Madge.
Lymm
Lymm is a large village and civil parish within the Warrington borough of Cheshire, in North West England. Lymm was an urban district of Cheshire from 1894 to 1974. The civil parish of Lymm incorporates the hamlets of Booths Hill, Broomedge, Church Green, Deansgreen, Heatley, Heatley Heath, Little...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
and educated [at [Manchester High School for Girls]], she briefly lived in Canada, before returning to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
shortly before the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. She settled in Hampshire and began writing poetry, often with a nautical theme. Smith wrote over 600 poems in her life, for a wide range of publications. In later life, she expanded her writing to a number of subjects, fiction and non-fiction. For her services to literature, the British Government awarded her a small pension
Pension
In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...
.
Early life
Cicely Fox Smith was born 1 February 1882, into a middle class family in LymmLymm
Lymm is a large village and civil parish within the Warrington borough of Cheshire, in North West England. Lymm was an urban district of Cheshire from 1894 to 1974. The civil parish of Lymm incorporates the hamlets of Booths Hill, Broomedge, Church Green, Deansgreen, Heatley, Heatley Heath, Little...
, near Warrington, England during the latter half of the reign of Queen Victoria. Her father was a barrister and her grandfather was a clergyman. Smith well might have been expected to have a brief education and then to settle down to life as a homemaker either for her family or her marriage partner.
She was well educated at Manchester High School for Girls
Manchester High School for Girls
Manchester High School for Girls is an independent daytime school for girls and a member of the Girls School Association. It is situated in Fallowfield, Manchester, United Kingdom...
from 1894 to 1897, where she described herself later as "something of a rebel," and started writing poems at a comparatively early age. In an article for the school magazine Smith later wrote "I have a hazy recollection of epic poems after Pope's Iliad, romantic poems after Marmion stored carefully away in tin tobacco boxes when I was seven or eight." All of that early work is lost unfortunately. She published her first book of verses when she was 17 and it received favorable press comments.
Wandering the moors near her home she developed a spirit of adventure. She would follow the Holcombe Harrier
Harrier
-Military:* Harrier Jump Jet vertical take-off and landing fighter/attack aircraft and derivatives:** Hawker Siddeley Harrier—1st generation Harrier** BAE Sea Harrier—Maritime strike/air defence fighter** AV-8 Harrier II—2nd generation Harrier...
s hunt on foot as a girl. She had a fierce desire to travel to Africa but eventually settled for a voyage to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Smith likely sailed with her sister Madge in 1911 on a steamship to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, where she would then have traveled by train to Lethbridge, Alberta, staying for about a year with her older brother Richard Andrew Smith before continuing on to British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
(BC). From 1912 to 1913 she resided in the James Bay
James Bay
James Bay is a large body of water on the southern end of Hudson Bay in Canada. Both bodies of water extend from the Arctic Ocean. James Bay borders the provinces of Quebec and Ontario; islands within the bay are part of Nunavut...
neighborhood of Victoria at the southern tip of Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
, working as a typist for the BC Lands Department and later for an attorney on the waterfront. Her spare time was spent roaming nearby wharves and alleys, talking to residents and sailors alike. She listened to and learned from the sailors' tales until she too was able to speak with that authoritative nautical air that pervades her written work.
On 23 November 1913, Smith, with her mother and sister, arrived home in Liverpool aboard the White Star Line
White Star Line
The Oceanic Steam Navigation Company or White Star Line of Boston Packets, more commonly known as the White Star Line, was a prominent British shipping company, today most famous for its ill-fated vessel, the RMS Titanic, and the World War I loss of Titanics sister ship Britannic...
steamer Teutonic
SS Teutonic (1889)
The SS Teutonic was a steamship built for the White Star Line in Belfast and was the first armed merchant cruiser.-Background:In the late 1880s competition for the Blue Riband, the award for the fastest Atlantic crossing, was fierce amongst the top steamship lines, and White Star decided to order...
on the eve of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. She and her family then settled in Hampshire.
Poet
She soon put her experiences to use in a great outpouring of poetry, some of it clearly focused on supporting England's war efforts. Much of her poetry was from the point of view of the sailor. The detailed nautical content of her poems made it easy to understand why so many readers assumed that Smith was male. One correspondent wrote to her as "Capt. Fox Smith" and when she tried to correct him he wrote back "You say you are not a master but you must be a practical seaman. I can always detect the hand of an amateur." He was almost correct. She was familiar with life at sea as few armchair amateur would ever be. It was only when she was well established that she started routinely using the by-line "Miss C. Fox Smith" or "Cicely Fox Smith."Smith initially had her poetry published in a variety of magazines and newspapers: Blackwood's Magazine
Blackwood's Magazine
Blackwood's Magazine was a British magazine and miscellany printed between 1817 and 1980. It was founded by the publisher William Blackwood and was originally called the Edinburgh Monthly Magazine. The first number appeared in April 1817 under the editorship of Thomas Pringle and James Cleghorn...
, Blue Peter, Canada Monthly, Country Life, Cunard Magazine, Daily Chronicle
Daily Chronicle
The Daily Chronicle was a British newspaper that was published from 1872 to 1930 when it merged with the Daily News to become the News Chronicle.-History:...
, Grand Magazine, Holly Leaves, the Outlook, Pall Mall Gazette
Pall Mall Gazette
The Pall Mall Gazette was an evening newspaper founded in London on 7 February 1865 by George Murray Smith; its first editor was Frederick Greenwood...
, The Daily Mail, The Dolphin, The London Mercury, The Nautical Magazine
The Nautical Magazine
The Nautical Magazine is a monthly magazine published by Brown Son & Ferguson containing articles of general interest to seafarers. The magazine was first published in 1832 and has variously been known as The Nautical magazine and naval chronicle for ... and Nautical magazine and journal of the...
, The Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
, The Sphere
The Sphere (newspaper)
The Sphere was a British newspaper, published weekly from 27 January 1900 until the closure of the paper on 27 June 1964; the first issue came out at the height of the Boer War and was no doubt a product of that conflict and the public appetite for images...
, The Times Literary Supplement
The Times Literary Supplement
The Times Literary Supplement is a weekly literary review published in London by News International, a subsidiary of News Corporation.-History:...
, Westminster Gazette
Westminster Gazette
The Westminster Gazette was an influential Liberal newspaper based in London. It was known for publishing sketches and short stories, including early works by Raymond Chandler, Anthony Hope and Saki, and travel writing by Rupert Brooke. One of its editors was caricaturist and political cartoonist...
, White Star Magazine, The Windsor Magazine, The Week and The Daily Colonist (BC) and Punch
Punch (magazine)
Punch, or the London Charivari was a British weekly magazine of humour and satire established in 1841 by Henry Mayhew and engraver Ebenezer Landells. Historically, it was most influential in the 1840s and 50s, when it helped to coin the term "cartoon" in its modern sense as a humorous illustration...
for which she wrote many poems between 1914 and her death in 1954. She later re-published much of this poetry in her many books. In all she published well over 630 poems.
Later life
Other books by Smith included three romantic novels, numerous short stories and articles, as well as several books describing "sailortown." She also published a book of traditional sea shantiesSea Shanties
Sea Shanties is the debut album of Progressive Rock band High Tide. The cover artwork was drawn by Paul Whitehead.-Production:Denny Gerrard produced Sea Shanties in return for High Tide acting as the backing band on his solo album Sinister Morning...
that she had collected, and edited a collection of sea poems and stories primarily by other authors. In 1937 Smith finally realized a childhood dream by sailing around the coast of Africa, as a guest of the Union-Castle Mail Steamship Co. Ltd., stopping in the harbors along the way. She wrote of her experiences in All the Way Round: Sea Roads to Africa. In the 1940s she began writing children's sea stories with her sister Margaret (Madge) Scott Smith, other travel books, history books, a book about ship models, at least one biography titled Grace Darling, and contributed to and edited many collections.
The fine art work of her older brother Philip Wilson Smith, known at the time for his etchings of Elizabethan architecture and oil paintings, illustrates many of her poetry and prose books.
Her literary outpourings were such as to persuade the Government to award her, at the age of 67, a modest pension for "her services to literature."
Smith kept writing to the end of her life about many things and many places but always with the accuracy and knowledge of an expert. She even chose her own gravestone epitaph, an extract from one of Walter Raleigh
Walter Raleigh
Sir Walter Raleigh was an English aristocrat, writer, poet, soldier, courtier, spy, and explorer. He is also well known for popularising tobacco in England....
's poems:
Cicely Fox Smith died on 8 April 1954, in the town of Bow, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, where she'd been living with her sister Madge.
Legacy
Smith is now gaining a wider audience as more and more musicians are putting her poems to music and producing many fine songs, primarily in the nautical folk song tradition; over 70 of her poems have so far been adapted for singing and have been recorded. It is hoped that the present anthology will help further such interest in the creative work of this fine writer.Publications
Books by C. Fox Smith include:- A Book of Famous Ships (1924)
- A Sea Chest: an Anthology of Ships and Sailormen (1927)
- Adventures and Perils of the Sea (1936)
- All the Way Round: Sea Road to Africa (1938)
- Anchor Lane (1933)
- Ancient Mariners: Some Salt Water Yesterdays (1928)
- Country Days & Country Ways: Trudging Afoot in England (1947)
- Fighting Men
- Full Sail (1926)
- Here and there in England with the Painter Brangwyn (1945)
- Knave-go-by: the Adventures of Jacky Nameless
- Lancashire Hunting Songs, and Other Moorland Lays
- Men of Men (1901)
- Ocean Racers (1931)
- Painted Ports
- Return of the Cutty Sark (1924)
- Rovings: Sea Songs and Ballads (1921)
- Sailor Town Days (1923)
- Sailor Town: Sea Songs and Ballads (1914)
- Sailor's Delight
- Sea Songs and Ballads, 1917-22 (1923)
- Ship Aground: a Tale of Adventure
- Ship Alley: More Sailor Town Days (1925)
- Ship Models (1951)
- Ships and Folks (1920)
- Small Craft: Sailor Ballads and Chantys (1917?)
- Songs and Chanties, 1914-1916 (1919)
- Songs in Sail and other Chanties (1914)
- Songs of Greater Britain and Other Poems (1899)
- Tales of the Clipper Ships
- Thames Side Yesterdays (1945)
- The City of Hope: A Story of the New West.
- The Foremost Trail (1899)
- The Naval Crown, Ballads and Songs of the War
- The Thames (1931)
- The Valiant Sailor
- There Was a Ship: Chapters from the History of Sail (1929)
- Wings of the Morning (1904)
Further reading
- 1891 British Census
- 1911 British Census
- 1908 Passenger List (Montreal/Quebec)
- 1913 Passenger Lists (Liverpool)
- Songs and Chanties: 1914-1916, Elkin Mathews, London, UK, © 1919
- Peregrine in Love, Cicely Fox Smith, published by Hodder & Stoughton, London, UK, © 1920, pp. 86–87
- Later English Poems 1901-1922, J. E. Wetherell, published by B. A., Mcclelland & Stewart, Limited, Toronto, Canada, © 1922, pp. 35–36
- Sailor Town Days, Cicely Fox Smith, published by Methuen & Co., London, UK, © 1923, pp. 13–14, pp. 163–182
- "Cicely Fox Smith," by W. A. F., The Bookman, published by Hodder & Stoughton, London, UK, Volume 64, September, 1923, pp. 273–274
- A Book of Famous Ships, Cicely Fox Smith, published by Houghton Mifflin Co., New York, © 1924, p. 160
- Ship Alley: More Sailor Town Days, Cicely Fox Smith, published by Houghton Mifflin, New York, US, © 1925, pp. 65–66, pp. 72–78, pp. 126–127
- There Was a Ship: Chapters from the History of Sail, Cicely Fox Smith, published by Edwin Valentine Mitchell, Hartford, Connecticut, © 1930, pp. 168–169.
- Anchor Lane, Cicely Fox Smith, published by Methuen & Co., London, UK, © 1933, p. 8
- Who Was Who in Literature: 1906-1934, p. 1059
- All the Way Round: Sea Roads to Africa, Cicely Fox Smith, published by Michael Joseph, London, UK, © 1938
- "Miss C. Fox Smith - Obituary," Times of London, UK, April 9, 1954
- Who Was Who in Literature: 1951-1960, UK, p. 1013
- "Books by Miss C. Fox Smith," W. H. Webb, Sea Breezes, UK, November, 1966, pp. 818–819
- "Cicely Fox Smith of Bow," A. B. Blackmore, in Devon Life, UK, May, 1977, #131, pp. 28–29.
- "Cicely Fox Smith," Danny McLeod, in Seaboot Duff & Handspike Gruel, UK, © 1995
- "Cicely Fox Smith: Hampshire Resident and Poet of the Sea and Sailors," John Edgar Mann, Folk on Tap, UK, July–September, 1999, #80, pp. 17–18